Bloomberg: US questionnaire tests NATO allies' loyalty to Trump policies
The US administration has sent NATO allies a questionnaire on their support for President Trump's foreign policy, prompting a strongly negative reaction, Bloomberg reports.
The administration of US President Donald Trump has circulated a questionnaire among NATO allies to assess their support for his foreign policy, Bloomberg reported on August 14. According to the news agency, which obtained a copy of the document, each country is asked whether it has publicly backed US foreign policy, whether it has banned American forces from using its military bases—including during US operations in Iran and Venezuela—and whether it spends money with US defense contractors.
Bloomberg's sources say the allies reacted extremely negatively to the initiative. They see it as an attempt to force them to show ideological loyalty in exchange for US protection.
The questionnaire comes after Washington decided to review its military presence in Europe. The US is expected to make significant reductions in troops and weaponry in the region by December. According to Bloomberg, Washington's efforts to tie its commitments to NATO allies to ideological loyalty could completely reshape the transatlantic relationship that emerged after World War II. That relationship was built on American military guarantees, which allowed member states to disagree politically with each other without threatening the alliance itself.
